Raw Blueberry Chia Jam

Raw Blueberry Chia Jam
Makes 1 heaped cup

2 cups frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons raw, wild honey
2 tablespoons chia seeds*
2 teaspoons vanilla paste

• Let the blueberries thaw out a little
• Combine everything in the food processor and blitz till well combined
• Transfer to a glass jar and let set in the fridge for a little, the chia will swell up and give it that jam-like texture
• Spread it on toast or get creative and layer it in a fruit parfait.

*If you don’t have chia seeds, you can use psyllium husks to swell and bind. 

Recipe found at: http://ascensionkitchen.com/raw-blueberry-chia-jam/

Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups blueberries (7 1/2 oz)

Special equipment: a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups; 12 foil or paper muffin liners

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together butter, brown sugar, milk, and egg in a bowl until combined well. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries gently.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cinnamon-Blueberry-Muffins-1222209#ixzz2RDZv5WMW

Blueberry Cardamom Chia Pudding

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup chia seeds 
• 2 1/2 cups almond milk (or rice, soy, or light coconut milk) 
• 1 cup fresh blueberries 
• 1 1/2 tsp cardamom 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract  

Directions      

1. Blend milk, blueberries, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla and syrup together in a blender on high till smooth.
2. Pour blueberry mixture over chia seeds and stir thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Let rest for five minutes, and stir again. Ten minutes later, stir again. Refrigerate and let sit overnight.
3. In the morning, give it a stir and check texture. If it’s too thick, simply add more almond milk; the texture should be similar to that of tapioca pudding (just imagine tiny tapioca pearls!). Serve.

Recipe found at: http://food52.com/recipes/18951_blueberry_cardamom_chia_seed_pudding

Blueberries with Lemon Cream

Ingredients

• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, (Neufchatel)
• 3/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 cups fresh blueberries 

Preparation

1. Using a fork, break up cream cheese in a medium bowl. Drain off any liquid from the yogurt; add yogurt to the bowl along with honey. Using an electric mixer, beat at high speed until light and creamy. Stir in lemon zest.
2. Layer the lemon cream and blueberries in dessert dishes or wineglasses. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Recipe found at: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/blueberries_with_lemon_cream.html

Parsley, Kale, and Berry Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/2cup (packed) flat-leaf parsley (leaves and stems)
• 4 kale leaves (center ribs removed)
• 1cup frozen organic berries (such as strawberries or raspberries)
• 1 banana (cut into pieces)
• 1 teaspoonground flaxseed

Preparation

• Purée ingredients with 1 cup water in a blender until smooth (add water if too thick).

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/04/parsley-kale-and-berry-smoothie#ixzz2DRyOpnRu

Blackberries

Sweet, succulent blackberries are summer delicacies in the northern temperate regions. As in raspberries, they grow on shrubs known as brambles in the vast rosaceae family bush berries. The plant is native to Europe and now grown at a commercial scale from North America, particularly in the USA, to as far as Siberia.
Binomially, the plant is a small perennial shrub belonging to the familyRosaceae, of the genus: Rubus. Botanical name: Rubus fruticosus. 

Health benefits of blackberries

• As in other bush berries, blackberries too are packed with numerous plant nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and dietary fibers that are essential for optimum health.
• They are very low in calories. 100 g berries provide just 43 calories. Nonetheless, rich in soluble and insoluble fiber (100 g whole berries consist of 5.3 g or 14% RDA of fiber).Xylitol, a low-calorie sugar substitute presents in the fruit fibers, absorbs more slowly than sugar, and does not contribute to high blood sugar levels.
• Blackberries have significantly high amounts of phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid tannin), quercetin, gallic acid, cyanidins, pelargonidins, catechins, kaempferol and salicylic acid. Scientific studies show that these antioxidant compounds may have potential health benefits against cancer, aging, inflammation, and neurological diseases.
• Fresh berries are an excellent source ofvitamin C(35% of RDA/100 g), which is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation, and scavenge harmful free radicals from the body.
• They contain adequate levels of vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K (16% of RDA/100 g) and in addition, they are rich in many other health promoting flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and ß-carotene in small amounts. Altogether, these compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process.
• Blackberries have an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity, a measure of anti-oxidant strength) of about 5347µmol TE per 100 grams.
• Further, blackberries contain good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Copper is required in the bone metabolism as well as in production of white and red blood cells.
• They contain moderate levels of B-complex group of vitamins. It contains very good amounts of pyridoxine, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and folic acid. These vitamins are acting as cofactors help body metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

 Read more at: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/blackberries.html

Fruit Cobbler Easy Batter

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 cups of sliced fresh peaches or nectarines, or whole blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of fruits (or a 12-ounce package of frozen berries)
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven. Whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tb. of sugar. Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Peach, Banana, and Blueberry Smoothie

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe peaches or nectarines, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 banana, preferably frozen
• 1 cup low fat or non-fat vanilla yogurt

Directions:

Place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Thin with some calcium-fortified orange juice if desired

Watermelon, Lemonade, and Blueberry Ice Pops

Serves 8
Watermelon ice
2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes seeded watermelon (from 2-pound piece)
1/4 cup sugar
8 5-ounce disposable paper cups
8 ice pop sticks or wooden coffee stirrers

Lemon ice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blueberry ice
2 cups fresh blueberries (from three 1/2-pint containers)
1 cup water
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For watermelon ice:
Blend watermelon and sugar in processor until smooth. Strain puree into bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much fruit as possible..

Place cups in shallow baking pan. Spoon watermelon puree into cups, dividing equally (scant 3 tablespoons each). Freeze until mixture is almost frozen, about 2 hours. Cover cups with rounds of foil, sealing tightly at edges. Using tip of small knife, make 1/4-inch slit in center of each foil cover. Push ice pop stick through slit and securely into watermelon ice without hitting bottom of cup. Freeze until watermelon ice is solid, about 1 hour longer.

For lemon ice:
Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to boil in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Mix in lemon juice, orange juice, and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
Place pan with frozen pops on work surface; carefully fold back foil over each cup without dislodging stick. Spoon lemonade into cups, dividing equally (scant 3 tablespoons each). Reseal foil. Freeze until lemonade layer is solid, about 2 hours.

For blueberry ice:
Stir blueberries, 1 cup water, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Boil until berries are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Strain mixture into small bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much fruit as possible. Mix in lemon juice. Cool to room temperature.

Place pan with frozen pops on work surface; carefully fold back foil over each cup without dislodging stick. Spoon blueberry mixture into cups, dividing equally (generous 3 tablespoons each). Reseal foil. Freeze until pops are frozen solid, about 8 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.)
Remove foil, then tear or use scissors to cut cup off each pop; return ice pops to pan and freeze until ready to serve

Blueberry Season!

Blueberries are finally here from Florida! There is nothing like the sweet, fresh flavor of freshly picked blueberries. The blueberry is the true sign of summer.

I have challenged myself this season to come up with some new ways of using blueberries besides the usual sweet renditions. I came up with a blueberry balsamic vinaigrette and threw in some of the blueberries in a green spring salad with watercress, radishes, walnuts, feta cheese, and grilled mushrooms. It turned out great the blueberries added a sweet kick to the salad.

I'd love to hear some other suggestions for how to use blueberries in non-traditional ways.

I have added a blueberry muffin recipe here. You can never go wrong with blueberry muffins on a Sunday morning. Hope you enjoy the blueberries this week!

This recipe is taken from the Smitten Kitchen.

PERFECT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Makes 9 to 10 standard muffins

5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces or 71 grams) unsalted butter , softened

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces or 191 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon (7 grams or 1/4 ounce) baking powder

1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda

1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces or 105 grams) blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don’t bother defrosting)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper liners or spray each cup with a nonstick spray. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well, then yogurt and zest. Put flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a sifter and sift half of dry ingredients over batter. Mix until combined. Sift remaining dry ingredients into batter and mix just until the flour disappears. Gently fold in your blueberries. The dough will be quite thick (and even thicker, if you used a full-fat Greek-style yogurt), closer to a cookie dough, which is why an ice cream scoop is a great tool to fill your muffin cups. You’re looking for them to be about 3/4 full, nothing more, so you might only need 9 instead of 10 cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean (you know, except for blueberry goo). Let cool on rack, or you know, serve with a generous pat of butter.


Pictures and Recipe from The Smitten Kitchen